suggest a bass guitar?

[nomoreflakes]

Im finding my 1998 Fender p bass (MIA) too soft, boomy and round sounding for the music I am currently working on. Heavy guitars, much distortion, high tempos, drums hit very hard.

I'm after something much more attacky / harder sounding with a more solid - concrete - bottom. It will be often used with a fuzz pedal.

I was thinking a 4003 Rickenbacker neck pickup ? Any thoughts or other things to experiment with ?

[swafford]

Music Man.

[Slikjmuzik]

Just get a Pbass, woodgrain body, swap out the stock bridge with a Leo Quann badass bridge, then change the pickups to Duncan Quarter Pounders. Done and Done.

[hasbeen]

New and expensive strings may be just the key for a completely different bass sound. Thomastik Infeld will do just that. And save the cost of a new bass.

[Kiwi]

A P-bass should be ideal for what you want ... maybe change the pickup and definately experiment with strings.

What are you tracking this through? Using an amp? Soft, boomy & round sounds like room problems ... most great bass sounds have a least some component of DI sound, if not 100% DI.

How do you hit the strings? Thumb? Pick? Where do you hit the strings? Neck, Bridge? Experiment.

If using a fuzz, you probably want to run two channels, for deep un-fuzzed bass, and for mid-rangey fuzz bass.

Probably not your guitar ...

[TurboJets]

The late 70's early 80's Vantage basses from the Matsumoku factory in Japan are fantastic and have that Rick sound. Big punchy bottom end. Nothing mushy or soft about them. The key is to make sure they have the original pickups. The bridges are truly badass. Even at $500+ they're a total bargain.

[basmartin]

Don´t find newer Fenders as "boomy" or uneven as the ones from the 90´s to 2008. Try a new one!

[gutr2]

P-bass is perfect fot the music I do, fat, big, woody and growly.
For your music I suggest J-bass or Music Man.
I find this youtube video perfect for understanding/hearing the 3 top bass guitars in history (IMO): P, J, Music Man
It has helped me a lot.
Lakland LH3 Pickup Demo - YouTube

[travisbrown]

Get new strings and put a Badass II bridge on. Thomasticks mentioned above. are a good suggestion.

I'd probably lean towards a J Bass if using heavy guitars. I find they sit narrower and punchier amidst dense guitars. P basses sometimes just take up too much room. That being said, buss your bass into group, bump up 200k and 400k. Put the rest of the instrument mix into another group and cut 200k and 400k. That should tighten up your bass in the mix and maybe solve your issue. A good comp on the bass never hurts for those kinds of dense mixes either.

[gutr2]

Oh , and as suggested before, not all P's are the same.
I own a Lakland BG, and it's in a completely different league compared to a Fender.

[nomoreflakes]

Recording and mixing techniques aside, my pbass is just intrinsically rounder and warmer D.I'd or with an amp (I use an ampeg v2 guitar head with an ampeg 4 x10).

It has a huge hump between 80 and 300hz- like a mountain - that always needs cutting. Great for some songs.

I am after an instrument that is naturally "harder" and aggressive with more solid low mids.

However, very interested in the bridge idea and new pickups. Will try. I just think that this is the basic sound of this piece of wood.

Am I correct that the pre ernie ball stingrays were much better instruments than current ?

[kerouac]

Music Man or an Ibanez. I really love the Ibanez basses for heavier music, especially the five strings. It's not as organic (for lack of a better word) but combined with their active circuits and killer construction they just work perfectly.

[foldback]

Almost all the music we do in our studio is heavy sounding rock punctuated with acoustic guitars.

My bass of choice is a MIJ Fender 51 P-bass reissue with the vintage style single pickup (not the typical two piece P-bass pickup).

IMHO nothing rocks like Rotosound roundwound bass strings, they have a magic clarity that lasts for about four weeks, then the magic evaporates and the strings need replacing.

If I'm recording with this bass for an album I like to put a fresh set of strings on in the morning before we start recording. There is a bright clarity that makes these strings really cut through in a mix.

To accent the sound of the bass guitar make sure you high-pass the guitars and other instruments that walk on the bass below 100hz. IME it's not a matter of boosting the bass guitar, the idea is to give it room to show it's tone in the mix.

I've been wary of recommending it because I don't want the used market to dry up, butttt, I really like the old Bass Rockman for tracking rock bass. I bought one of mine new back in the 80's. I'm not talking about the reissued models by Dunlop, the only one that sounds good IMHO is the original by Tom Scholz SR&D. I have a lot of bass amps to choose from but a fresh set of strings and a Bass Rockman is my go to rig for rock bass recording. In fact, you might just try a used Bass Rockman and some Rotosounds before experimenting with pickups, bridges and all that.

Best of luck with your recording project.

[Grin-go-go]

Gibson Thunderbird is the best bass in the world ! Great bottom end

[checkeredbob]

I'd agree with the Music Man option for that style of music.

As an alternative it might be worth trying out some Warwicks. They weigh an absolute ton and they're not the cheapest, but they more than make up for it in tone. I personally have a Corvette $$ and find it to be an incredibly versatile instrument.

[Grin-go-go]

Originally Posted by checkeredbob

I'd agree with the Music Man option for that style of music.

As an alternative it might be worth trying out some Warwicks. They weigh an absolute ton and they're not the cheapest, but they more than make up for it in tone. I personally have a Corvette $$ and find it to be an incredibly versatile instrument.

But they are so UGLY !

[Camarillo]

Originally Posted by Grin-go-go

Gibson Thunderbird is the best bass in the world ! Great bottom end

Agree...

[dmilt23451]

What is your budget perhaps that will narrow down some better responses?

If your looking for something for under $500 a vintage Peavey T-40 can't be beat - American made and has an incredible range of tones to choose from.

Around 1k I would agree that you should look at EBMM, Newer American Fender J's, and Warwicks

2k and above the world is your oyster - look into Sadowsky, Nordstrand, Low End Jazz, 70's Fenders Etc...

[robertshaw]

ibanez
sdgr

[kerouac]

Originally Posted by dmilt23451

If your looking for something for under $500 a vintage Peavey T-40 can't be beat - American made and has an incredible range of tones to choose from.

Those were a good deal when you could still pick them up under $200 or so. At their current price point you can buy a much nicer used instrument for not much more.

[dmilt23451]

Originally Posted by kerouac

Those were a good deal when you could still pick them up under $200 or so. At their current price point you can buy a much nicer used instrument for not much more.

They are still going for right around $300-$400 I think its a pretty short list of what you can get for under $400 that would beat it out in terms of build quality/tone versatility.

[nomoreflakes]

Would a 4003 fit the bill of hard, solid and cutting? Any opinions?

[fretless]

I would also try tweaking that one first , perhaps even change out the pots depending on the values . I'd go with good strings like R Cocco and Lollar pup and swap electronics if needed and either a Bad ass bridge or Ti saddles should be a nice step up . Great suggestions on some fine basses already and I'll throw in G&L they offer several great instruments .

[checkeredbob]

Originally Posted by Grin-go-go

But they are so UGLY !

They're not that bad. I quite like the main designs (Thumb, Corvette and Streamer).

It's just a matter of opinion I suppose. Either way you can't argue with that sound, they'll growl even with the oldest strings on them.

[Oli P]

Originally Posted by nomoreflakes

Am I correct that the pre ernie ball stingrays were much better instruments than current ?

No...the 5 string Sting Ray were only made after Ernie Ball took over, and those built the first years...like up to around '93 are really nice instruments.

The new Sting Ray Classic models are well built too...but not cheap.

As for the Rick 4003...it cuts pretty well, but is somewhat harder to master than a MM...and will never give you the bottom that the active MM will give you.

[ivansc]

Originally Posted by Grin-go-go

Gibson Thunderbird is the best bass in the world ! Great bottom end

(grin) so long as you can keep it from breaking....and even then, hardly the best bass in the world. Mind you I played one with a P Bass pickup fitted years ago and that was a very very nice bass indeed.

Sixties of course and repaired headstock break of course.

[nomoreflakes]

Any Rickenbacker love round here?

[kerouac]

Originally Posted by nomoreflakes

Any Rickenbacker love round here?

Tons... just not from my wallet!

[softwareguy]

Originally Posted by nomoreflakes

Any Rickenbacker love round here?

I've been infatuated with Ricks ever since I was in high school and trying to learn every line that Chris Squire ever played. I have to say though, they are like a certain kind of girlfriend: beautiful but problematic. The same complexity of sound that makes them so interesting to listen to also keeps them from being a solid part of the rhythm section, especially in a rock context. They lack exactly what your P Bass seems to have too much of, which is that rich, powerful lower mid section. Squire could always count on keyboard pedals to fill in the low lows if necessary, and he acted within their concept more like contrapuntal low guitar line than like a rhythm instrument.

When I've recorded them (especially direct) there's lots of interesting tone, but it always leaves me jonesing for a Fender sound to just get the job done. There's a reason that they never really became a standard for rock, and made their mark more in prog and certain types of funk (Rick James not Larry Graham).

So yeah, lots of love, but basically she broke my heart.

[Oli P]

Originally Posted by nomoreflakes

Any Rickenbacker love round here?

Sure....I love my old 4001

I disagree that it doesn't have enough low end, it's just a very pillowy soft kind...and for me it's all about a McCartney type sound with the Rick, and flatwounds played with a pick.

The sound really begs for melodic playing...both with flats and rounds. Just two different schools.